Delhi Police downsizing, say only the lean can be mean

The Delhi Police want only the lean and mean — and not the pot-bellied and the corrupt — to manage the Capital's streets. Subhendu Ray reports. Six-pack cops?

The Delhi Police want only the lean and mean — and not the pot-bellied and the corrupt — to manage the Capital's streets.

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Physically unfit traffic policemen will soon be shown the red signal since they do not have the ability and competence to take the pressure of field duties under extreme weather conditions.

All the 4,305 traffic policemen deployed in the capital's streets, will have to take fitness tests from next week. Their medical records will also be scanned.

Once the process is over, the unfit ones will first be moved to the police lines and later to other departments, while the vacancies will be filled by fit men from other departments.

“The whole process may take a week. After that, we will remove the unfit ones from the traffic unit,” said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

This will be the first such organised move to scan the fitness of traffic policemen to identify the laggard. The authorities have already ousted 105 policemen on May 31 for alleged involvement in corruption.

“We want to make the unit full of smart and honest men,” said a senior traffic police officer. Those who will undergo the checks will include 43 inspectors, 146 sub-inspectors, 176 assistant sub-inspectors, 1,108 head constables and 2,832 constables.